Daily Independent Newspaper Menu Soyinka, Falana, Utomi flay Jonathan over Rivers crisis Jul 12th, 2013 @ 12:09 am › daily Editor ↓ Skip to comments •Say President’s silence disturbing •NBA expresses concern •NUPENG, group call for Mbu’s removal By Sylvester Enoghase, Temidayo Akinsuyi, Funmi Falobi (Lagos) and Nedum Noble (Abuja) Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, on Thursday expressed disgust at the unfolding political crisis in Rivers State, lamenting that President Goodluck Jonathan’s continued silence on the matter was a confirmation that he is indeed “privy and supported the illegality going on in the state.” He said the President would be held culpable if anything untoward happens to the state Governor, Rotimi Amaechi. Soyinka jointly addressed a press conference on the Rivers crisis with Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, which they entitled, ‘A Presidential Emergency: A People Under Siege!’ at the Freedom Park, Broad Street, Lagos, on Thursday. Soyinka also took a swipe at Jonathan’s wife, Patience, whom, he said, has been “acting with impunity in a manner not becoming of a lady” and that she was capitalising on the influence of her husband to get away with murder. Comparing developments in Rivers State to the 12th century England when Thomas Beckett, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered by five knights who were loyal to King Henry II of England over the rights and privileges of the church, Soyinka said the President’s silence and indifference have created an enabling environment for his followers who are acting in Rivers State with impunity. “I read through the papers and I saw that his (Jonathan) spokesmen have been trying to distance him from what is happening in Rivers. That is their job. “I wish them luck but the President has to understand that the perception upstairs in the world, not merely in the nation, but the outside world, is that he bears a responsibility at the very least for what is happening in Rivers. “I am insulted by what is going on in Rivers State. We have been through this before. Why is the Presidency boring us again with this? There are serious issues confronting us. “This is the time the President should be mobilising the entire country for positive things. This is the time the President should worry about how to protect our little children being murdered in their schools. “We have five legislators who are five fingers of a controlling hand carrying out the will of an absolute monarchy. Are we not moving towards absolute monarchy? “I am not laying direct culpability on anyone, but I am saying that one can by action or omission establish certain forms of conduct in the minds of one’s followers. “There are certain ways in which you can convince your followers that they can act with impunity. There are many ways in which you can expose a prey to show that that prey is available for plucking, especially when a certain moral action is required and that moral action is not taken,” Soyinka said. He also countered the claim by the police that tear gas was not fired into the Rivers State Government House, saying he got a firsthand information that tear gas was directly thrown into the Governor’s Lodge. “Anyone who says that tear gas was not thrown into Amaechi’s lodge was either ignorant or lying about the development going on in Rivers State. “When a tear gas is thrown in today, the next one may be a smoke bomb, and in confusion an accident can happen and we get back to the days of the unknown soldier, or in this case maybe more likely unknown policeman.” While condemning the excesses of Patience Jonathan over her recent trip to Port Harcourt, Soyinka said the First Lady by her actions was getting away with murder with the direct connivance of her husband, adding that Nigeria has had First Ladies in the past with none behaving with impunity like the current one. “For me, the siege of Port Harcourt for 11 days with full security apparatus indicates that there is something beyond even that Madam herself. “Be a lady first before being a First Lady. In fact, you cannot be a First Lady without being a lady and that is the only advice I have for her. “Because that is evidence that she is getting away with murder in this country only because she has the backing of her husband and that she is being used politically. “When things get to a stage where an unelected person, a mere domestic appendage or partner can seize the control of the police for 11 days and as a result of her presence the Governor of the state cannot even move out, what sort of jungle are we living in?” he asked. Soyinka also faulted the call for the redeployment of the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mbu Joseph Mbu, whom, he said, has become a “political policeman.” He said Mbu should as a matter of urgency be sacked for violating the code of conduct of the police. “The Governor has said ‘I want this man out; I am the chief security officer, but no, he is still there’. “Is anybody surprised then that a teargas could be accidentally thrown into the Governor’s residence? “In addition, some of Amaechi’s security persons have been removed. This I have checked. I am not saying he is left without any security whatsoever.” Falana on his part said if the Finance Minister can issue a statement from China to the National Assembly absolving herself over the budget impasse, nothing stops the President from taking similar action on the Rivers crisis if actually he was not directly or indirectly involved in the abnormality happening in the state. Both Soyinka and Falana also agreed that the development in Rivers State has nothing to do with the 2015 general elections or the ambitions of Amaechi. They said it is just about some individuals trying to subvert Nigeria’s democracy without recourse to the country’s Constitution and rule of law. “All the incidents have nothing to do with 2015. We are just dealing with the gang of power mongers who do not appreciate the responsibility imposed on them by the Constitution and the Nigerian people. “This guy has not told anyone that he is running, but when you have thugs coming out to threaten all of us that if you don’t vote for a particular candidate, we are going to dismember the country, but nobody is calling them to order. “We are in a state of anarchy. We didn’t have 2015 when Ngige was abducted. We didn’t have 2015 when Governor Obi was impeached in the dead of the night at 4.00 a.m. and somebody in the Villa supported that. “We didn’t have 2015 when somebody wanted to impose a third term agenda on all of us. What we are saying is that let’s run Nigeria so that we can have 2015,” they added. Director of Lagos Business School, Pat Utomi, also spoke to newsmen in Abuja on Thursday where he called for immediate resolution of the current impasse in Rivers State before it degenerates to a state of anarchy. He warned that God and history would hold those responsible for the crisis in the state accountable if the nation’s future is jeopardised. “They should realise that the country is bigger than the party. If they end up jeopardising the interest of the country, they would be held accountable in the court of history and the court of God,” he warned. Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) equally expressed concern over the crisis. The association in a statement noted that cases on political differences in Rivers State are court, “which was the right and proper way to settle disputes in any civilised society” and that this was why it had refrained from issuing statements on the matter. In the statement signed by President of the NBA, Okey Wali, on Thursday, the group said the latest twist must be condemned “very strongly and quickly.” The NBA, therefore, appealed to parties involved to sheath their swords and return to the courts, where they have been for adjudication of any disputes between them. National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) also reacted to the crisis, calling on the Inspector General (IG) of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, to remove Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mbu Jospeh Mbu, because of his inability to strengthen the hitherto peace that has characterised the state when his predecessors held sway. NUPENG in a statement by its President, Igwe Achese, condemned in its entirety the violence that erupted in the Rivers State House of Assembly. The union warned that the ugly incident in the House portends danger for the democracy NUPENG fought to establish during the June 12, 1993 crisis. Another group, Stop Impunity Nigeria (S.I.N) Campaign called on security and law enforcement agencies to take decisive action against the perpetrators of Tuesday’s violence in the Rivers State House of Assembly and end the circle of impunity in the political arena. It also called for immediate removal of the state Commissioner of Police. The Campaign noted that there was no dispute about the sequence of events that led to the crisis in the House, adding that: “When five members of a legislative body procure the services of thugs and militants to orchestrate a series of violent actions in order to gain a political advantage over the other 27 members, they should be told unequivocally that such criminal behaviour is neither tolerable nor acceptable under our laws and democratic system, regardless of political affiliation.” Coordinator of the group, Bolaji Owasanoye, of Human Development Initiatives (HDI) said: “These people cannot go unpunished. These five legislators, along with the thugs and militants who aided them, must be arrested and punished to the full extent of the law for their criminal and barbaric actions. “To do otherwise would be to send a wrong signal to other misfits in the political arena that if they have the right connections, they can use violence to subvert the democratic process and get away with it. “Nigeria must turn away from this culture of impunity which is threatening to consume the country and its democracy.” Meanwhile, African Union Parliamentary Group on Nigeria has expressed satisfaction with the level of infrastructural and human capital development in the health and education sectors of the Governor Rotimi Amaechi-led administration in Rivers State. Addressing Government House correspondents shortly after their visit to the Governor in Port Harcourt, member of Parliament (MP) and Chairman of the African Union Parliamentary Group on Nigeria, Meg Hillier, said the level of development in the education and health sectors would speedily evolve into an efficient tool for meeting the governance needs of the people. “We have seen the new model primary and secondary schools, and we also visited some Primary Health Centres built by the Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, and we are satisfied with the level of development; we hope it will impact on the people positively,” Hillier said. Hillier also gave indication that the Parliamentary Group would further write a formal report on the visit to Rivers State, particularly on the development projects that would benefit the people, including the protection of human rights and justice in Nigeria. “We as a British Parliament, we are not here to intervene in the affairs of the state or federal government of Nigeria. We will only make our reflections very clear, even though we are trying to run Nigeria by proxy from London,” she added. Post Your Comment Categories: News Mobile Theme ONOFF All content Copyright Daily Independent Newspaper
Posted on: Fri, 12 Jul 2013 12:23:50 +0000
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